NEW BRUNSWICK -- The former Rutgers University student whose bias intimidation conviction in the Tyler Clementi webcam case was overturned last month pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted invasion of privacy.
Dharun Ravi will be sentenced to time served for the third-degree charge and will spend no additional time in jail.
Ravi, 24, admitted to attempting to activate a web camera to capture Clementi's sexual encounter with another man with the intent of letting other people view it, but not publishing it over the internet. The activation, which came days after he first witnessed Clementi kiss the man, failed.
The decision brings an end to a case that made headlines nationwide, casting a spotlight on cyber bullying.
Ravi, who now works in IT in New York City, said he "feels good" and "relieved" that the case is finished. He declined to comment further.
"He just wants to disappear," Ravi's attorney, Steven Altman, said outside the courtroom.
Clementi's parents, Joe and Jane, said in a statement that witnesses of cyber bullying "need to become upstanders for those in our society like Tyler, who cannot stand up for themselves."
"We call on all young people and parents to think about their behavior and not be bystanders to bullying, harassment or humiliation," the statement said. "Interrupt it, report it and reach out to victims to offer support. If this had happened in Tyler's case our lives might be very different today."
Ravi used a web cam to capture an intimate encounter Clementi, Ravi's fellow freshman roommate, had with another man inside their Rutgers University dorm room in September 2010. Clementi, 18, committed suicide days later by jumping off the George Washington Bridge.
Ravi was not charged in Clementi's death. He was, however, convicted of a bias crime -- which Altman appealed. His defense maintained the webcam incidents had nothing to do with Clementi's decision to commit suicide.
Ravi was sentenced in 2012 to 30 days in jail, three years of probation and 300 hours of community service -- all of which he has already completed as of May 30, 2015.
Judge Joseph Paone on Thursday did not impose any further sentences. The judge said Ravi has demonstrated that he has lived a "law-abiding life for a substantial amount of time."
"His youth and immaturity did not provide him with the tools necessary to help him understand the consequences of his actions," Paone said. "He did not consider his conduct would cause serious emotional harm to Mr. Clementi."
In September, an appellate court sided with Ravi's attorney and overturned his convictions. The court also tossed his convictions of hindering his own apprehension and tampering with witnesses.
Altman had made the case that the New Jersey Supreme Court struck down a portion of the bias crime statute in a separate case that focused on the victim's state of mind. The court said the defendant's state of mind and intent is what matters -- not the victims.
That March 2015 Supreme Court decision, Altman said, also brought into question decisions made by the trial judge, Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman, who is now retired. Berman permitted the prosecution to produce evidence of Tyler Clementi's state of mind to the jury.
"The State used evidence revealing the victim's reserved demeanor and expressions of shame and humiliation as a counterweight to defendant's cavalier indifference and unabashed insensitivity to his roommate's right to privacy and dignity," the appellate court said in its September ruling. "The prosecutor aggressively pressed this point to the jury in her eloquent closing argument."
It continued: "It is unreasonable to expect a rational juror to remain unaffected by this evidence."
Assistant Prosecutor Christie Bevacqua represented the state at the guilty plea on Thursday.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a statement that the plea agreement was a "reasonable way to resolve the case."
"Our sympathies remain with the victim's family, which continues to work to protect our at-risk youth," Carey said.
Staff Writer Justin Zaremba contributed to this report.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.